Le/la même and Les mêmes = The same (French Indefinite Pronouns)

Indefinite pronouns refer to people or things without saying exactly who or what they are. "Le/la même" and "les mêmes" are part of the indefinite pronouns.

How to use the indefinite pronouns le/la même, les mêmes in French

Look at these examples of similitude:

Tu as une belle voiture. J'ai la mêmeYou've got a nice car. I've got the same [one].

Julie prend l'Eurostar de 15h30? Je prends le même.   Is Julie taking the 3.30pm Eurostar? I'm taking the same [one].

J'aime beaucoup tes lunettes. Madonna porte les mêmes.  I really like your glasses. Madonna wears the same [ones].

Partout la table est prête,
Et l'on entend la même chanson, oh !
Everywhere the table is set, 
And you hear the same song, oh!

To say the same in French, you use le/la même or les mêmes depending on the noun it refers to.

Note that it has to agree in gender (le/la) and number (les mêmes) with the object it refers to.

See other uses of même:
Using [French stress pronouns] + même(s) to express "myself/yourself/etc" in French and Même can mean "same", "itself", "very", "exact" and "precise" as an adjective, and "even" as an adverb in French


When le même is used in a comparison : the same as

Oh, tu as les mêmes chaussures que Noémie !Oh, you've got the same shoes as Noemie!

Ton écharpe ! C'est la même que la mienne !Your scarf! It's the same as mine!

Note that in French, you will use que to introduce the compared element.

See also Plus ... que/Moins ... que/Aussi ... que = More ... than/Less ... than/As ... as (Comparisons with Adjectives in French)

Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

Ton écharpe ! C'est la même que la mienne !Your scarf! It's the same as mine!
Aimer, ce n'est pas se regarder l'un l'autre, c'est regarder ensemble dans la même direction.
(Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
To love is not to look at each other, it is to look together in the same direction.
(Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
Tu as une belle voiture. J'ai la mêmeYou've got a nice car. I've got the same [one].
Julie prend l'Eurostar de 15h30? Je prends le même.   Is Julie taking the 3.30pm Eurostar? I'm taking the same [one].
J'aime beaucoup tes lunettes. Madonna porte les mêmes.  I really like your glasses. Madonna wears the same [ones].
Partout la table est prête,
Et l'on entend la même chanson, oh !
Everywhere the table is set, 
And you hear the same song, oh!
Oh, tu as les mêmes chaussures que Noémie !Oh, you've got the same shoes as Noemie!
Thinking...